A herb walk in Tulfes, Tyrol, with Susi

The best places to gather herbs are unfertilised meadows, the edges of woods or mountain meadows. These locations offer the plants the best natural conditions.

It is important that the root or tuber remains in the ground – unless you specifically intend to use the root. As a general rule: only take as much as you really need! Respect for nature is the top priority.

The plants develop the most flavour on sunny mornings. The ideal time to harvest them is therefore when the plants are dry and have been warmed thoroughly by the sun.
Spring and early summer are particularly suitable.

The herbs should be carried in a basket, paper bag or linen bag – this keeps them well-ventilated and fresh.

These and many other questions were also answered directly and practically during our group walk. This meant that all participants were not only able to forage, but also to deepen their knowledge of native herbs.

We set off towards the village church and from there headed south towards a farm situated right at the start of the Speckbacherweg . To the left and right of this path are beautiful, unfertilised meadows where we were able to begin with the explanations and also with collecting a wide variety of herbs.
I explained the constituents, effects and uses of a wide variety of herbs, such as:

To help you remember the different herbs more easily, there are handy sayings such as: “If the stem is angular and rough, it’s meadow hogweed!” Or ground elder is commonly known as ‘the divine three’ because its stem is triangular and it always grows with three leaves.

Whilst out walking, the participants were set the task of finding each herb we’d discussed and collecting a small amount of it. Afterwards, we discussed how to make herb salt.

TIP – Homemade herb salt: Dry the collected herbs and mix them into the salt; coarse sea salt works particularly well for this.

After a good hour’s walk, we turned back and strolled back to the well-known Kräuterplatzl in the village.

The products from the company Essenz der Alpen are a wonderful addition to homemade herb salt. The production facility is located in Haller Au – where handmade salts are produced, authentic and unrefined, just like the surrounding mountain landscape. Great importance is attached to the gentle and sustainable processing of the high-quality raw materials. The salts are refined with essential oils or herbs from local organic farms.

This lovingly laid-out rest area, with its small benches and tables, invites young and old alike to linger and relax, or even to prepare and taste the little plants they have found and gathered. The ingredients I brought with me – curd cheese, sour cream, herb salt and pepper – were stirred together in a small bowl, mixed with the herbs we’d gathered, washed at the well and finely chopped, and enjoyed on homemade farmhouse bread .

The fresh bread comes either from the Fasserhof farm shop or from Tuxerbauern in Tulfes – both are renowned for their regional, high-quality specialities.

Everyone was delighted at just how good simple food can taste!

To round things off, I shared two lovely sayings with the participants.

“Herbs grow when, where and because we need them!”
“To the sad, every flower is a weed; to the happy, every weed is a flower!”

Anyone who fancies joining Susi or her colleague Claudia on a journey of discovery into the world of herbs can do so every Tuesday as part of our holiday activities!